FAQ

AU-EU Youth Action Lab – General FAQs

The AU-EU Youth Action Lab provides the opportunity for youth initiatives in Africa and Europe to apply for funding through the Call for Proposals (CfP) to implement their ideas and solutions linked to global challenges. The Youth Action Lab is funded by the European Union and is part of the ambitions laid out in the EU’s Youth Action Plan!

The AU-EU Youth Action Lab is implemented by a consortium of partners: Oxfam, the European Youth Forum and Restless Development Uganda. Together, they aim to connect young people from both continents, encouraging them to collaborate, share knowledge, and raise their voices to influence policy at all levels, from local to international levels, including the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU).

In the coming 3 years, the Youth Action Lab will launch various call for proposals inviting youth in their diversity to apply. The Youth Action Lab has 4 different grant types – each with a different focus, but all with a similar ambition: Support youth initiatives in a powershifting way!

For your organisation to be eligible to apply for an Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Representation and Cooperation Grants, your organisation needs to be located in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia or Zimbabwe. Cooperation Grants also includes European Union member states.

Nothing about youth without youth – the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) of the Youth Action Lab will review and select the proposals to receive funding. The YAB is composed of 12 young representatives, with 10 selected out of the African Union focus countries and 2 from the European Union. Each year we expect that we will work with the 12 YAB members who have been selected through an open call.

APPLICATION PROCESS

On the ON Grip platform only.

No, unfortunately you cannot revise or modify your application once it has been submitted to the online platform.

No, you can only submit your application in one language. You can choose one of the following languages for the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Representation Grants: English, French and Portuguese. Cooperation Grants are to be submitted in English only.

We will organize an online session before close of applications. We will provide clarity, take questions and provide support and tips on how to write an application. Be on the lookout for the specific dates of each of your grant type on the

No, please apply to only one grant scheme with one project.

No, we will not accept applications once the deadline is passed, but there will be other grant opportunities in the next 3 years. Keep an eye on the Youth Lab website to stay updated!

Yes, if your application was not successful, you can apply again on the next call for proposal. Please look out for our next opportunities on the Youth Lab website and social channels.

No, there is no matching fund nor co-funding obligations.

  • What are the evaluation criteria of my application?
  • As these are powershifting funds co-designed by young people for young people, the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) holds decision-making power in the selection process. The process includes the following steps:
  • Applications will be screened first based on eligibility criteria-both the hard and soft eligibility tests. This screening will take up to one week, with a possible extension depending on the number of applications received.
  • During the longlisting and shortlisting process, the applicants are grouped according to eligibility countries – this is done to ensure that there will be equitable representation across the 12 eligible African countries and European Union member states.
  • A detailed assessment will be administered on all the shortlisted applicants by the YAB and these will be scored and ranked. (The YAB will use an Assessment Tool co-designed for this process)
  • A Due Diligence and an organisational capacity assessment will be conducted to verify applicants’ governance and accounting protocols.
  • The highest-scoring proposals will be notified and selected applicants will be asked to complete forms and provide additional details for contracting.
  • Where applicable, site-visits may be undertaken as part of the assessment process to ensure that applicants have minimum governance and accounting protocols and/or to review existing programming. The consortium partners will collaborate with its various country offices for this including on ground support by the YAB members.

This depends on the grant type you are applying to. In general, the selection process should take 6 weeks after the Call for Proposals closes. Make sure to check the relevant grant type on the website to stay updated.

Upon request.

PAYMENT OF THE GRANT

No, it is not needed to have a specific bank account.  All payments should be made and to your organisation bank account.

 

The grant will be transferred in EUR.

The grant will be provided in separate payments (usually in two instalments). The first instalment (60% of your total approved grant) will be transferred after signing the grant agreement including all annexures. The second instalment (40% of your grant) is due after the approval of one mid-term progress report, including meeting all required milestones. Be aware that the definition of the instalment payments will be set at the time of contract agreement once your project has been approved.

REPORTING

The frequency of reporting and required documentation will be detailed in the reporting guidelines, which are provided to all grantees, and we will guide you through all the necessary steps during the kickoff meeting. Additionally, we are committed to supporting you throughout the project trajectory, ensuring you have the resources and guidance you need to meet all reporting and documentation requirements.

  • Costs during the project period (while the project is running).
  • Costs listed in the project budget (the plan you submitted).
  • Necessary, clear, and proven costs (following tax and legal rules).
  • Reasonable and justified costs (ensuring good use of funds and efficiency).

Please refer to each funding manuals for specificity.

  • Expenses outside the project timeline (anything before or after the project).
  • Costs not related to the project (like unrelated activities).
  • Buying land, buildings and vehicles
  • In-kind contributions

Entrepreneurship Grants

All Youth Action Lab grant types are created by youth and for youth. This funding addresses the lack of opportunities for youth in Africa and Europe to collaborate, cooperate, develop, implement and scale up their own initiatives. It is designed to support young people to be more engaged, empowered and connected. The grant aims to nurture organisations’ stability, resilience, financial security and organisational capacity with the result aimed at showing impact created at community level with a distinct scale-up potential.

Entrepreneurship Grants focus on youth-led actions that address a three-fold selection of key challenges young people face around the world in their economic participation and taking control of their own future i.e. skills development opportunities, growth of youth-led (social) enterprises, and an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs.

During the first Call for Proposal in 2025, the focus will be on the first topic: SKILLS DEVELOPMENT! We ask interested youth organisations or (social) enterprises to submit their ideas to advance meaningful skills development opportunities for young people!

This grant will also allow you to meet grantees from the three other grant types at the Annual Link & Learn events and through the Power2Voices online platform (accessible beyond the grant period)! Some more good news? Our application and reporting mechanisms are designed in a way that make sense to youth initiatives. Read the full [funding manual – available soon] for more information.

To apply for Entrepreneurship Grants, your organization must meet the following requirements:

  • Your organization is youth-led: young people (age 18 to 35) are the decision makers.
  • You are a youth organization that is formal: you are legally registered in your country, have an organization bank account and a clear governance structure.
  • You are located and registered in one of the 12 African Youth Action Lab focus countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For this first cohort we are only looking at providing grants that are responding to Skills Development, therefore if your scale up initiative is on skills development, please do apply!

No, any other idea on entrepreneurship not linked to Skills Development will not be considered for this first call for proposals.

A key barrier for many young people around the world to engage in economic opportunities is the access to skills development that makes sense to them. We have seen a mismatch between skills taught and what young people actually need in their own context to obtain a job or start a business. And, moreover, including a focus on life-skills: to not only develop skills for economic participation but for young people taking control of their own future. Especially young people from marginalized communities can face additional barriers to engage in skills development opportunities for example the lack of access to training facilities in rural areas. We therefore aim to support youth initiatives that have identified a distinct gap in the skills development opportunities for young people in their context and seek to address it! For example, youth-led incubators that implement training modules for young entrepreneurs.

Yes, of course! The information sessions are organized to help you with your application but are not mandatory.

NO, grants are minimum of 30,000 EUR and cannot go below that. You cannot therefore apply for grants below the 30,000 EUR or above 50,000 EUR.

Your project will be funded for a duration of 12 months, from May 2025 to April 2026.

All application are due on the stated date –19 of February 2025 by midnight CET. Applications received later than the stated date and time will not be considered.

It is expected that the assessment process of applications will take about six weeks, therefore expect to hear from us beginning of April 2025. An announcement will also be made on the Power2Voices platform for you to check your emails.

Representation Grants

All Youth Action Lab grant types are created by youth and for youth. They aim to nurture organisations’ stability, financial security and organisational capacity.

Representation grants provide the opportunity for youth initiatives in Africa and Europe to apply for funding through a Call for Proposals (CfP) to implement your ideas and solutions linked to global challenges. They are grants supporting initiatives led by underrepresented and marginalized youth in Africa with the overall goal of enabling young people to deliver the change they wanted in their communities.

Some more good news? Our application and reporting mechanisms are designed in a way that make sense to youth initiatives. Read the [funding manual] for more information.

To apply for a Representation Grant, your organisation must meet the following requirements:

  • Youth led organisations or groups focusing on either underrepresented or targeting the marginalized youth.
  • The organisation or group must have young people between 15 – 35 years as the decision makers, founders or at least co-founders must be under 35 years of age.
  • At least 75% of the staff must be under the age of 35 years
  • Must be registered youth-led group, CSO, networks, alliances, collectives
  • Your organisation or group must be based in one of the 12 African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • The organisation or group must be active at the grassroot, sub national, national, sub regional and regional.

These grants are called representation grants because they aim at supporting initiatives led by underrepresented and marginalized African youth. Youth face numerous barriers that prevent them from engaging meaningful in things that matter to them, empowerment and connection.

Representation grants are called powershifting grants because of specifically 3 reasons:

  • Nothing about youth without youth – a Youth Advisory Board of the Youth Action Lab will review and select the proposals to receive funding.
  • The grants facilitate and nurture stability, resilience, financial security, and organisational capacity.
  • Application and reporting mechanisms make sense to youth initiatives.

Representation grants are 40 in number, and each will run for a maximum duration of 12 months. Grant sizes will be in three categories; that is, small size of €5,000 will be 10 in number, medium size of €10,000 will also be 10 in number and 20 large (€20,000).

  • Representation grants will support youth-led initiatives challenging discriminatory acts and promote inclusion – especially among the underrepresented and marginalized young people.
  • Support movement building initiatives such as advocacy coalitions and networks right from grassroots;
  • Initiatives that are aligned to the national youth plans and the AU agenda 2063
  • Supporting development of policy solutions and alternatives towards the wellbeing of young people (Hackathons) and increased participation of young people in decision making processes, policy reviews and formulation.
  • You need to carefully read the funding manual
  • You will need to make your application on the ON Grip platform

The assessment process of applications will take about six weeks, therefore expect to hear from us after 7th week after application submission.

Innovation Grants

All Youth Action Lab grant types are created by youth and for youth. This funding addresses the lack of opportunities for youth in Africa and Europe to collaborate, cooperate, develop, implement and scale up their own initiatives. It is designed to support young people to be more engaged, empowered and connected. The grant aims to nurture organizations’ stability, resilience, financial security and organizational capacity with the result aimed at showing impact created at community level with a distinct scale-up potential.

The Innovation Grants aim to provide support to youth organizations that seek to innovate in their own context in response to a global challenge! The grant supports youth led organisations innovative solutions and thereby increases opportunities for youth to take the lead and create positive change at scale. The grant provides organisations with an opportunity to work with other youth to share their solutions to peers and decision-makers at the continental and inter-continental level.

This grant will also allow you to meet grantees from the three other grant types at the Annual Link & Learn events and through the Power2Voices online platform (accessible beyond the grant period)!

Some more good news? Our application and reporting mechanisms are designed in a way that make sense to youth initiatives. Read the full  [funding manual – available soon] for more information.

To apply for Innovation Grants, your organization must meet the following requirements:

  • Your organization is youth-led: young people (age 18 to 35) are the decision makers.
  • You are a youth organization that is formal: you are legally registered in your country, have an organization bank account and a clear governance structure.
  • You are located and registered in one of the 12 African Youth Action Lab focus countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

That’s a great question! Simple answer is NO- we do not see innovation as being about a technological design. An innovation is a broad term and is often mistaken as only something that is completely new or perhaps something focusing on new technologies. While this could be the case, innovations are so much more! Our working definition is that we define innovation as designing, testing, scaling or improving a new or existing activity for young people in their own context with long-term impact.

We mean a challenge or opportunity in a certain context that finds its ‘root-cause’ in a challenge faced in diverse contexts at a global scale, for example climate change or lack of youth participation in decision-making. A challenge that is recognizable across contexts and allows for sharing and learning from experience.

This is an innovation that works on the nexus of different thematic areas and global challenges for example, an innovation that addresses the gendered impact of climate change in a given context. It could also mean grantees that work on intersectionality by connecting diverse young people in a joint youth-led solution.  We aim this way to fund innovations that can experience more difficulty in obtaining funding as they are often not fitting ‘siloed’ funding modalities.

Yes, of course! The information sessions are organized to help you with your application but are not mandatory.

NO, grants are minimum of 30 000 euro and cannot go below that. You cannot therefore apply for grants below  30 000EUR or above 50 000EUR.

Your project will be funded for a duration of 12 months, from May 2025 to April 2026.

All application are due on the stated date –19 of February 2025 by midnight CET. Applications received later than the stated date and time will not be considered.

It is expected that the assessment process of applications will take about six weeks, therefore expect to hear from us beginning of April 2025. An announcement will also be made on the Power2Voices platform for you to check your emails.

Cooperation Grants

All Youth Action Lab grant types are created by youth and for youth. They aim to nurture organisations’ stability, financial security and organisational capacity.

Cooperation Grants provide financial support as well as training and resources to help you understand how to effectively engage with government institutions and influence policy. This grant will also allow you to develop new cross-continental partnerships and meet grantees from the three other grant types at the annual link & learn events through the Power2Voices online platform (accessible beyond the grant period)!

Some more good news? Our application and reporting mechanisms are designed in a way that make sense to youth initiatives. Read the [funding manual – available soon] for more information.

To apply for a Cooperation Grant, your organisation must meet the following requirements:

  • Be a formal youth-led organisation: legally registered, with a bank account and governance structure, young people (aged 18-35) are the decision makers;
  • Be located in one of the 27 European Union member states OR be located in one of the following 12 African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • At least one of the cooperating organisations must have prior experience working on a project with at least one other partner.

To form a consortium, you must partner with at least one organisation from an eligible country on the other continent: So, if your youth organisation is based in one of the eligible African countries, you need a partner from a European Union member state. If your organisation is in the European Union, you need a partner from the participating 12 African countries. A consortium must include at least two organisations and maximum five. It doesn’t matter how many organisations come from Europe and how many from Africa, as long as the two continents are represented.  Unfortunately, organisations that are registered in countries other than the 27 EU Member States and the 12 African counties listed above are not eligible to apply for this grant, even as part of a bigger consortium.

Don’t worry, many organisations are in the same situation! This is why we created this form for you to fill out and get access to a database of potential partner organisations interested in this grant.

Yes, of course! The information sessions are organized to help you with your application but are not mandatory.

No, all Cooperation Grants are 50,000 EUR per consortium. It is up to you to decide how to split the money between the consortium partners. Please bear in mind that the lead partner may want to receive a slightly higher amount than the collaborators as they will be our main contact person and responsible for submitting reports, which requires additional resources. But this, of course, depends on your consortium’s plans and division of roles.

The lead organisation needs to have experience working on at least one collaborative project. For the rest, it’s up to you to decide who will lead. However, keep in mind that the lead organisation will have more responsibilities and slightly more work. Therefore, make sure the lead applicant has capacity to lead on this!

You are free to choose any topic you want to work on as long as it aligns with the four focus areas of Cooperation Grants, namely:

  • Policy and advocacy: your project needs to focus on advocacy and policy influence and be aligned with one or more Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Cross-continental collaboration: your project needs to promote collaboration between African and European youth and address shared challenges. You will need to demonstrate a clear common goal and explain how this cooperation is beneficial for both.
  • Marginalised youth: make sure your project has a strong emphasis on benefitting marginalized groups while reflecting on how your organisation is suited to work with these groups.
  • Sustainability: you will have to explain the continuity of your project after the end of the grant period. In other words, how you foresee your activities to continue or for the results of your activities to create change after the project period ends.

Please read the [funding manual – available soon] for more information.

Your project will be funded for 12 months maximum, from May 2025 to April 2026.

All application are due on the stated date 16 March 2025 by midnight CET. Applications received later than the stated date and time will not be considered.

It is expected that the assessment process of applications will take about six weeks. Therefore, you can expect to hear from us during May 2025. An announcement will also be made on the Power2Voices platform for you to check your emails.

AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective is a four-year initiative co-funded by the European Union, designed to foster a more inclusive and youth-responsive society across Africa and Europe. As part of the AU-EU Youth Lab programme, this initiative envisions a future where enhanced youth engagement, empowerment, and connection actively shape policies, partnerships, and decision-making processes. It is implemented by a consortium of five organisations with expertise in youth-led and youth-informed work: Oxfam, Restless Development, Search for Common Ground, Youthmakers Hub, and ComDev Africa. Together, these partners are united in their commitment to driving meaningful change for young people across both continents.

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective aims to:

  1. Engage young people in accessing information, action planning, and accountability through youth-led initiatives.
  2. Empower youth to participate actively in civil society through collective self-care and agency.
  3. Connect young individuals among themselves and with decision-makers by enabling intergenerational dialogues and cross-continental partnerships.
  4. Assist policymakers in collaborating on youth-responsive policymaking and improve their accountability towards young people.
  5. Support the development or improvement of youth-responsive policies.

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective targets:

  1. Young people aged 15 to 35 from all 54 African countries, including those in hard-to-reach areas and those not in education, employment, or training.
  2. Youth civil society groups from Africa and Europe, as well as organisations led by the African Diaspora in Europe.
  3. Decision-makers, institutions, and policymakers, including, among others, the African Union, the European Union, national governments, civil society organisations, and corporate actors.

Here’s how you can engage with the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective:

  1. Enter the online community by following us on Social Media.
  2. Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive exclusive updates and opportunities.
  3. Participate in digital and in-person training sessions and workshops (we announce them in the website section Events).
  4. Attend our intergenerational dialogues and other events.
  5. Apply for funding opportunities through the Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism (for eligibility criteria, see question n.5).
  6. Utilize the upcoming AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App for free access to learning resources, providing feedback about the mobile app, and networking opportunities.

The Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism provides microgrants ranging from €1,000 to €10,000 to youth-led groups from Intervention Countries and the youth diaspora (various criteria apply; read the Funding Manuals once published for more details). It aims to support youth-led advocacy initiatives to strengthen local and continental advocacy through research, training, and accountability mechanisms. Throughout the four years of the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective, there will be three rounds of applications for the Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism grant.

The upcoming AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App is designed as the virtual mirror of the collective. It will engage 10,000 young people who will contribute to building the app by participating in consultations and sharing their needs, priorities, and solutions. The app will offer free access to information, training courses, collaborative workshops, networking opportunities, and resources optimized for low data usage and available in multiple languages. The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App will launch in early 2025.

The Intervention Countries in Africa are:

  1. Burkina Faso
  2. Burundi
  3. Cameroon
  4. Ghana
  5. Kenya
  6. Nigeria
  7. Senegal
  8. Sierra Leone
  9. South Sudan
  10. Tanzania
  11. Tunisia
  12. Uganda
  13. Zambia
  14. Zimbabwe

The Intervention Country in Europe is:

  1. Belgium

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective operates continent-wide, engaging youth and decision-makers from all 54 African countries. However, it targets 14 intervention countries in Africa and 1 in Europe (see question n. 7), which are prioritized for key interventions, including in-person training activities and eligibility to receive grants through the Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism.

The intervention countries were selected based on the following criteria:

  1. Subregional Representation: ensure fair inclusion of countries from all five regions of Africa and at least one country from Europe.
  2. Youth Policy Success: select countries with different levels of success in developing and implementing youth policies to encourage peer learning and the exchange of best practices.
  3. Youth Organizing Potential: prioritize countries with active youth-led groups that are ready to engage in advocacy at both continental and cross-continental levels.
  4. Consortium Presence: choose countries where Consortium members are already active to build on existing initiatives and address specific contextual challenges.
  5. Youth Advocacy Challenges: target countries where youth face difficulties voicing their demands on subregional or regional platforms.
  6. Development and Stability: include a diverse mix of countries, ranging from developing and thriving countries to those in fragile or post-conflict contexts.
  7. African Union Integration: Balancing the selection of countries that are fully integrated into AU institutions with those currently excluded.
  8. Government Support for Youth: include countries with strong policies supporting youth, as well as those facing political or economic challenges in addressing youth’s needs.

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective plans to train 24,000 young people on advocacy-related skills, including policy advocacy, leadership development, and community engagement. These trainings aim to empower youth to advocate for their concerns and priorities effectively within the AU-EU partnership. The trainings are held both online and in person. For updated information, consult our website at the Events section.

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective hosts various events, including Youth Power Hackathons, training sessions, and intergenerational dialogues. These events aim to engage, empower, and connect young people across Africa and Europe. Upcoming events are regularly updated on the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective website in the section Events. Dissemination material from events, training, and any other updates are regularly shared in the website section News.

No, the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective does not have its own offices, as it is implemented by a Consortium of partner organisations (see question n.1). However, the respective organisations are physically present in most African countries. At the same time, associates and representatives of the programme, such as the Youth Advisory Board Members, are located in the Intervention Countries.

The Youth Advisory Board is a group of young people from the Intervention Countries whose role is to assess the programme’s impact on local communities and advise the Consortium on the next steps. Our goal is to give power to young people from marginalized and vulnerable communities who often experience barriers to accessing power and resources. The selected members of the Youth Advisory Board will keep their positions until the end of the programme in February 2028.

The main actions for young people include:

  1. Training sessions, hackathons, and capacity-building activities.
  2. The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App.
  3. The Youth Voices Third Party Funding Mechanism.
  4. Youth consultations on the challenges of advocacy.
  5. Support for youth representatives in joining intergenerational and cross-continental decision-making spaces.

The main actions for institutions include:

  1. Involvement in intergenerational dialogues with youth representatives.
  2. Youth audits to assess the involvement of young people in decision-making.
  3. Policy recommendation on the involvement of young people.

To contact the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective, you can send an email to info@aueuyouthvoiceslab.eu or reach out on our social media, available the following links:

  1. LinkedIn
  2. X
  3. Instagram
  4. Facebook
  5. TikTok
  6. YouTube

To stay informed about the latest updates, activities, and events related to the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective, you can:

  1. Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive updates directly in your inbox.
  2. Join the WhatsApp channel to be involved in the online community updates.

Visit our website in the News section for the latest announcements, event highlights, and more.

Newsletter

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Stay connected

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This website has been prepared with the financial assistance of the European Commission. The views expressed herein are those of the consultants and therefore in no way reflects the official opinion of the European Commission.

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Stay connected

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This website has been prepared with the financial assistance of the European Commission. The views expressed herein are those of the consultants and therefore in no way reflects the official opinion of the European Commission.

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